I wrote the Inside Wall Street column at Business Week Magazine for 28 years, through December 30, 2009. It was one of the most influential market columns as it moved stocks that I highlighted each week. BW had a yearly ScoreCard Report that tracked the performance of the stocks I mentioned, and the results confirmed their positive impact..I also wrote two books: “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Street-Dark-Making-Money/dp/0070402566"Secrets of the Street, the Dark Side of Making Money,” published by McGraw-Hill in 1995, and “Gene Marcial’s Seven Commandments of Stock Investing,” published by FT Press in 2008. I resumed writing the “Inside Wall Street” column for AOL DailyFinance after Bloomberg acquired BW in December 2009. Subsequently, I moved the column to MSN.com after AOL merged with the Huffington Post. I then started writing for Forbes.com with a new column, “Street Beat,” in mid-April 2011, where I expect my readers will follow me.

Is Apple Looking For A Replacement For CEO Cook?

Is AppleApple (AAPL) secretly searching for a new chief executive to replace Tim Cook? Some Wall Street sources close to some Apple executives say such a move is afoot, although there’s yet no available evidence that the board of the once-mighty top tech-innovator is officially in such a game-changing mode. But if it isn’t yet pursuing such a goal, it should, according to some big stakeholders, who have trimmed their Apple holdings.

They assert privately that it’s time for Appleto oust Cook. Under his tenure Apple shares rose to an all-time peak last September, but they have since been cut nearly in half. (Ed. Note: an earlier version of this piece mistakenly said Apple has fallen by half since Cook first took over.)

At least one of them believes there’s a move by some at the company to search for someone with credible credentials and superb tech qualifications to take over and turn things around, lest Apple go the way of Hewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard and JC Penney.

Their concern over what’s happening at Apple has heightened as there’s no sign that the bleeding will stop quickly. From a trading high of $702 a share reached in September 2012, the stock has spiraled into a freefall, plummeting to $390 a share by Apr. 19, 2013 — a new 52-week low.

The surprise is most analysts at major Wall Street firms remain generally positive towards Apple. Since the passing of the incomparable Steve Jobs, Apple’s shine has faded as its dynamic sales and earnings growth — and its stock’s mighty march upward — reversed gear. Apple is in a “quiet period” when it’s not allowed to make any public comment because it’s scheduled to report quarterly earnings on Tuesday.

The Street’s bullish stance is astonishing considering that some $290 billion of Apple’s market value has been wiped out in just six months. Of the 37 analysts from major securities firms who follow Apple, none has downgraded the stock to a sell, according to available data from MSN.com. But 25 of them still recommend the stock as a “strong buy” and six others rate it as “moderate buy.” Another six Apple watchers rate the stock as a hold.

One of the chief reasons why these analysts continue to favor the stock is Apple’s huge cash pile, estimated at more than $137 billion, and what the company could do with it to win back the thickening crowd of disappointed and displeased investors. And strong demand for Apple’s innovative products has continued, led by the iPhone and iPad. And speculation persists that soon Apple will announce another new must-have product, which should help the stock recoup its sharp decline.

“We expect Apple’s growth to exceed that of many of its peers,” says Scott Kessler, analyst at S&P IQ, one of those who rates the stock as a strong buy. Considering Apple’s substantial cash position, “we see the stock as a compelling value,” he adds. And he believes sales of iPhones and iPads “will continue to grow at a healthy pace through 2015, despite macroeconomic and competitive threats.”

There is also rising expectation that Apple will use its robust cash stash to issue a special dividend and repurchase shares. “We believe Apple’s balance sheet will be increasingly employed for dividends and stock repurchases, aiding shareholder value,” says Kessler. Apple’s current dividend yield is already a hefty 2.47%.

But the real issue confronting Apple is its lamentable slowed growth — and whether the slowdown will continue. Even Kessler concedes sales won’t be as robust from here on. He estimates that revenues in 2013 will rise about 14%, way down from last year’s 45% increase. Sales of iPhones and iPads will drive much of that gain. And he figures that sales of Mac computers will also decline, in part due to cannibalization from tablets, including the iPad.

So for 2014, he figures revenues will stay flat and just equal the estimated rise of 14% in 2013. As to profits, Kessler also expects earnings to be flattish in fiscal 2013, at $44.29 a share, compared with $44.15 in 2012.

So unless Apple CEO Cook announces something really dramatic in new products or astronomical earnings on Tuesday, the stock will surely decline even more. And so will Tim Cook’s standing with shareholders and investors — and Wall Street. That may finally signal his exit.

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This is absolute madness… the yellow journalists and analysts chiming in are acting like APPLE is the same as AAPL.

Every indication is that Apple continues to *DOMINATE* the tablet market. They are *GAINING* market share in smart phones. They are *GAINING* market share in both desktops and laptops.

Weekly revenues were up 26% last quarter… when iMacs were almost non-existant for the entire quarter. Yes… margins were down due to 1) The introduction of the iPad Mini and 2) The beginning of a new product cycle for nearly ALL products. We’ll continue to see tough comparisons for the next few quarters because margins will not be at last years levels… and then we’ll return to even Y/Y margin comparisons and everybody will act shocked that profit growth will match revenue growth.

There *MIGHT* be broader economic issues causing growth to slow down across the industry that could be a problem, but as long as Apple continues to grow/maintain market share, I fail to see how this is a failure of Cook’s leadership.

Can someone explain to me how this COMPANY is this total disaster they keep telling us about because they don’t like the stock price?

Is the problem that there has been no “revolutionary” product in the last 2 years? Is that it? Is that “proof” that Cook should be fired because the company can no longer innovate? If that’s the standard… Steve Jobs would have been fired in 2004 because the iMac came out in 1998… the iPod in 2001… and then *NOTHING* revolutionary until the iPhone in 2007. Hell… 6 years without a revolution must “prove” that Steve Jobs was a disaster, right?

SMH at “analysts” and “journalists” that are looking for the next headline that will get them print. I have a feeling they get all giddy like Steve Martin when he saw his name in the phone book.

The problem with Apple stock is the same problem as the “Housing Bubble”. Apple is a leader in tech, but the stock was over inflated. Also, a company can’t stay at the top forever, esp. when they don’t play nice with others.

Actually, Apple no longer dominates the tablet market and by 2014 will be supplanted by Android. Nor does it gain market share, not really – while there was a tiny twink in US smartphone sales in the holiday quarter, all over the world, Android continues to control the market, with no hint of any change in sight.

Don’t get me wrong. Apple stock is undervalued by any sort of acceptable profit multiplier. Despite it being a highly profitable company, the market stays bullish. In fact, it was bullish even during Job’s tenure. If Apple enjoyed the same profit multiplier as Facebook – and it should have, since it’s grown far more rapidly – it would be a trillion dollar company.

That being said, I can understand why the market seems so hesitant. Apple seems to have lost a key element in it’s allure – the feeling it’s a different sort of company, with the best, most innovate, most beautiful products in the world. Now it’s just A company, with better, cheaper, more varied products out there.

As to Cook – yes, he isn’t Jobs. But is there anyone, really? Could anyone really do a better job than Cook, who knows the company so well? I highly doubt it.

With the respect any “allure”Apple has lost has been engineered by articles such as this which cast doubt on a company with baseless facts. As for the tablet predictions – IDC said Apple would be “toppled” in 2013. That did not happen so the moved it to 2014. And yet it’s a meaningless statistic given you are comparing a bunch of $50 tablets “shipped” vs. tablets with a 50% margin. Further, no competitor is willing to share how many units they sold nor their margins so good luck with that.

Yellow journalists….that is funny given this clown’s orange spray tan. Take a look at his picture. I would trust this guy to clean my gutters much less take his opinion seriously on anything meaningful.

My last paycheck was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can’t believe how easy it was once I tried it out. The potential with this is endless. This is what I do, Wow55.Com_

1) Apple is GAINING market share in the smartphone market (somehow people don’t understand that both Apple AND Samsung can gain share at the same time… math is hard). ComScore shows Apple’s share of the smartphone market rising from 35% to 39% from November to February. Samsung has gone from 20.3% to 21.3%. Strategy Analytics says Apple has 42.7% of PROFIT share while Samsung has 28.7%.

2) Apple owns the tablet market. Samsung is #2 and Apple has TWICE the market share of Samsung according to IDC. I suspect Apple has in the range of 80% profit share (but don’t have those numbers exactly).

So… people WANT to think Samsung is destroying Apple because it makes them feel good I guess… facts say otherwise.

Please Please Please let this be true. The guy is the worst CEO ever. I have been posting this forever.

He has to be the stupidest moronic CEO ever. Please before you remove my post just listen.

1. You hire me to be the Head of your company. I advertise how great this New Map Ap is going to be. I show pictures of how you feel like you are flying like an eagle over the city. You see it and you say wow Apple is amazing. Then the Ap comes out and it shows the Eiffel Tower in downtown Cleveland. Or the brooklyn bridge is collapsed http://www.nydailynews.com/news/apple-new-maps-app-flub-gallery-1.1164744

2. Wouldnt you think if I was to release a map ap of this importance to be used on hundreds of millions of products, I might say “Hey, lets try it first!” Guess not. How in the name of the Lord our God can they have done that. Then they put an aluminum covering on the new phone that scratches when you just look at it.

3. No bigger phone. That is what Cook said. We have the perfect size. How many Galaxy3s phones and other bigger phones have been sold. Much more than Apple sold. But they cant even put out 1 phone with out huge supply problems or bad reviews of their product. Now grant you they sold alot of phones but they need to sell a whole lot more.

4. It has been exactly 3 years since the ipad was first released. Now we can say that there will be no new product this year. There will be no special TV or iWatch coming. Both would fail anyway. Samsung has beat them to the game and the watch is so lame. It is not on the order or magnitude of the ipad or iphone. Maybe they will come out with the iSuspenders first?

5. Google is going in many directions .. They know you have too. Apple moves so slowly. Under Cook the company has lost all optimism. The Greatest Analyst alive, Richard Ross of Auerbach Grayson who is actually a nuclear physicist by training and who discovered the Hoggs Boson Particle, says Apple is going to 313. A 20% drop in Apple is coming on top of the recent down slide. Apple needs to diversify to protect themselves. They could buy Netflix which Jim Cramer keeps recommending. Cramer who is a lawyer trained at Harvard University and who advised William Jennings Bryant in the Scope trials is a genius.

6. Apple will keep going down until Cook is let go. Cook has to be an enemy agent working for Samsung. There is no other explanation.

And he said Samsung has sold more Galaxy 3′s than iPhones. He’s just making things up that have no basis in reality (as you rightly pointed out). He hopes “fanboys” go broke and then laments “insults” (which were just pointing out his lack of facts). And then calls everybody else trolls when we are dealing with reality while he’s just spewing this garbage.

I’ll never get the psychology behind these people, but I’ve seen it on the interwebs for 20 years now…

Samsung needs to do a better job vetting their paid trolls. Do they pay for word count you think? Maybe they have a troll-bot that now posts this stuff. Clearly it still needs some work given the way it errantly spits out stuff like Higgs-Boson and the Scopes trial as support for their argument!

Mr Cook has been running Apple for years. We’re you complaining when the stock rose from $100 to $700? Without his supply chain genius you think they would even be able to crack the demand for their products. I highly doubt the author of this article cares a red cent about Apple.

Mr, Manners, your rant against Cook and Apple should merit a check with a psychotherapist.

“Cramer who is a lawyer trained at Harvard University and who advised William Jennings Bryant in the Scope trials is a genius.”

Really? Jim Cramer was born February 10, 1955. The Scopes trial was in 1925. Had Cramer been alive then and counseling Bryant, he’d have a lot in common with who he is today – Bryant’s apparent win was as hollow as Cramer’s advice – Bryant died 5 days later, and the $100 fine was overturned on appeal.

“The Greatest Analyst alive, Richard Ross of Auerbach Grayson who is actually a nuclear physicist by training and who discovered the Hoggs Boson Particle, says Apple is going to 313. ”

Uhhh…you mean the HIGGS Boson Particle? Has been theorized, not “ discovered.” What that has to do with knowing what’s going on in Cupertino escapes me.

Cook has been running the company for many of the years Steve was in the process of dying. He was dusted off for one more new product hurrah, but Cook ran the company during the best days of the company.

“Cook has to be an enemy agent working for Samsung. There is no other explanation.”

Right.

Your product comments are as off base as your anti-Cook rant. It was 3 years between the first iPhone and the first iPad – which all your heros called a “big iPod” that would go nowhere.

Samsung has beaten no one to any game. The way the S4 launch tanked showed what their “advances” are, without someone to copy from.

Jim Cramer’s advice on Netflix acquisition followed months of him battering them, and boosting Apple as the gotta-buy. His job is to fill time between Scott Trade and Scooter Store commercials.

Google is going in many directions, but how many besides search are PROFITABLE?

This article is moronic drivel. Tim Cook is a GREAT CEO. He’s highly admired both in and outside Apple.

The stock dropped because of fears that sales growth may have topped, Samsung may be gaining market share, etc. Mainly the stock dropped because of incompetent Wall Street observers with their herd mentality.

iPhone is still GAINING market share according to ComScore and StatCounter. Verizon sold 7.2 million smartphones last quarter, 4 million were iPhones.

Samsung is gaining market share but not at Apple’s expense… it appears that they are taking low end share from everybody else and it’s a decent battle at the high end but Apple is still holding strong.

Please Please Please let this be true. The guy is the worst CEO ever. I have been posting this forever.

1. You hire me to be the Head of your company. I advertise how great this New Map Ap is going to be. I show pictures of how you feel like you are flying like an eagle over the city. You see it and you say wow Apple is amazing. Then the Ap comes out and it shows the Eiffel Tower in downtown Cleveland. Or the brooklyn bridge is collapsed http://www.nydailynews.com/news/apple-new-maps-app-flub-gallery-1.1164744

2. Wouldnt you think if I was to release a map ap of this importance to be used on hundreds of millions of products, I might say “Hey, lets try it first!” Guess not. How in the name of the Lord our God can they have done that. Then they put an aluminum covering on the new phone that scratches when you just look at it.

3. No bigger phone. That is what Cook said. We have the perfect size. How many Galaxy3s phones and other bigger phones have been sold. Much more than Apple sold. But they cant even put out 1 phone with out huge supply problems or bad reviews of their product. Now grant you they sold alot of phones but they need to sell a whole lot more.

4. It has been exactly 3 years since the ipad was first released. Now we can say that there will be no new product this year. There will be no special TV or iWatch coming. Both would fail anyway. Samsung has beat them to the game and the watch is so lame. It is not on the order or magnitude of the ipad or iphone. Maybe they will come out with the iSuspenders first?

5. Google is going in many directions .. They know you have too. Apple moves so slowly. Under Cook the company has lost all optimism. The Greatest Analyst alive, Richard Ross of Auerbach Grayson who is actually a nuclear physicist by training and who discovered the Hoggs Boson Particle, says Apple is going to 313. A 20% drop in Apple is coming on top of the recent down slide. Apple needs to diversify to protect themselves. They could buy Netflix which Jim Cramer keeps recommending. Cramer who is a lawyer trained at Harvard University and who advised William Jennings Bryant in the Scope trials is a genius.

6. Apple will keep going down until Cook is let go. Cook has to be an enemy agent working for Samsung. There is no other explanation. Permalink Flag Reply

This comment exemplifies the nonsense currently being spewed about Apple. Any day now the company can announce that going forward it will keep $100B as a reserve but will spend the remaining $50B or so it currently has in a massive buyback. And all future earnings will be returned to shareholders. This would give the stock a dividend yield of over 12%. Why would a company like that need to post astronomical earnings or else see its price decline even more?

Earnings are flat. Apple charges a high price that they can’t sustain. They are selling more in this country and alot less overseas. In China they are far from the leader. Apple stock indicates this. It only goes down. All those people who like to insult others for writing this are blind and unfortunately they have lost a load of loot if they were long.

Cook has to go. He is just dying at the position. Mr. Bob there who has sunglasses on has also insulted the author. If you don’t like his article just move on. But these trolls will continually try to defend Apple as it goes down. Down 50 this week as they have 4 out of 5 earning misses.

What is meant by “leader” in China? As in volume leader? Profit leader? Give away for free leader?

Earning miss? Miss whose target? WS Analysts who are over-compensating by being outrageously optimistic? Or Apple target? Has Apple ever missed its own target?

Claiming Apple stock price to reflect this is actually a Circular Argument. The stock is down, it must be for these reasons and because of these reasons, the stock is down.

I am too lazy to review all the reasons why the stocks started down.

Instead of insulting others by calling them “trolls”, may be it will help to provide some concrete data and logical reasoning? As it is, there is a lot of claims that seem to ignore the real data; the real quarterly data.

lazy,danmatters is a paid (poorly) poster,this wkend he has copied and paste the same thing on stocktwits,motley fool (7 of them) fortune , forbes and seeking alpha,he is a lonely unemployed otis,his wife ran off and his kids are ashamed and are know calling someone else daddy..sad really.

Tim Cook has always been a great COO, but CEO? Dry, boring, and not energetic enough. Iq think they should have kept him at COO and looked for someone that brings the right level enthusiasm without trying too hard to be Steve. I’m not sure who the right person would be. Ellison would be interesting, but he knows little about Apple’s model, but he might be the right type of personality.

About the only individual that truly understands the creative heart of Apple is Jony Ive. At the time Steve died he not really want to be CEO – maybe things have changed – his passion and creativity are what’s needed. Tim is an an amazing COO and if it could be pulled off – Jony and Tim could be a formidable team. To lose Tim Cook from Apple would be a grave error. He may not be the best frontman – but he’s a highly talented exec and his contributions to Apple have been very significant. . Wall St and many journalists – play the short – not a long game. Some patience is needed here – not knee jerk reactions.

The reason AAPL stock has fallen so far is garbage biased yellow journalism like this article. You stock market analysts have been manipulating the stock to line your own pockets at the expense of others.

And even though AAPL has tanked due to your manipulation, Apple continues to rake in more profits than ever before. Tim Cook belongs at the top specifically because he continues to focus on what matters to Apple rather than listening to crooked writers such as yourself.

There are two serious factual errors in this article that need to be corrected. The author asserts that under Cook’s tenure “Apple’s stock has lost about half of its market value since October 2011, when he took over as CEO.” First of all, Tim Cook took over as CEO on August 24, 2011, not October of 2011 as the author erroneously states. On that date, Apple’s stock price was $376. So it is simply not true that Apple has lost half its market value since Cook took over. Apple is actually trading about 3 percent higher when Cook took over. I wish Forbes would do a better job of vetting their contributors. This is not exactly journalism at its finest.

To be honest, contributor pieces go live without editors and while sometimes mistakes are caught later, often they aren’t.

For what it’s worth, I’m also a Forbes contributor and I don’t believe (a) there is any search to replace Cook (b) don’t believe any such search is warranted at this time (c) believe that any “sources” claiming otherwise are making it up.

That said, it’s time for Apple to subtly shift it’s strategy with regards to investing / managing its cash and also market share. They have “won” a game that no longer seems to matter. I’ll have more on this on my Forbes blog.

Gene, you make this totally speculative assertion without any supporting argument. Given that the current price of the stock in large part reflects current expectations of earnings, surely you aren’t saying that the market is expecting astronomical earnings. Otherwise, why would it continue decline if earnings were not astronomical? If only better than expected earnings, are you saying it will still “surely decline even more”? Also, do you really think that they should make a product announcement during an earnings call? Perhaps that’s just unclear writing on your part.

You really should not be in financial writing. Go into something where you are not screwing with people’s life savings by writing garbage about one of their most widely held investments. Perhaps you could write for one of the tabloids where truth is not valued highly. Oh I almost forgot, this is Forbes, you already are.

“Some Wall Street sources close to some Apple executives say such a move is afoot…”

“They assert privately that It’s (sic) time for Apple to oust Cook…”

“At least one of them believes…”

The article has as much credibility as your sources. I can write the exact same article using your above phrases to make any statement on any company in the world. It’s called trolling for hits – and you my friend are guilty.

Just nonsense. Cook is doing a great job. All of this hue and cry is seeping from Wall Street. Cook’s biggest mistake to date was instituting a dividend in capitulation to those dirtbags. Drop the dividend, Tim!

Does Forbes have editors? Tim Cook was made CEO in August not October. Today’s stock price is higher than when he took over. The author refers to sources close to some Apple execs, which means nothing. Shame on Forbes – grossly irresponsible.

This makes no sense: “The Street’s bullish stance is astonishing considering that some $290 billion of Apple’s market value has been wiped out in just six months.” I can’t imagine the logic here. If the stock was a good value and not much has changed except that it’s at half price, is that not a good reason for a bullish stance?

It is inaccurate to say, as this author does, that Apple stock has lost “about half” of of its value since Cook took over in October 2011. In fact AAPL was trading right around $400 when Jobs died. It rose to over $700 under Cook in Sept 2012.

An opportunistic article with no foundation. There is absolutely nothing wrong with apple, its the same company selling millions of phones, ipads and macs. The problem resides with hedge funds paying millions to writers to bring out negative news on the company for personal gain. Just because apple has not bowed to pressure from hedge funds to increase the dividend, they feel they have the right to print out phony news. Look at CNBC, all day long, nothing but negative news about apple but nothing negative about any other company. I guess they make money on the falling stock price just like many investors. So its in their best interest to bring out phony news about this company.

This is another silly article that assumes that Cook runs Apple to please Wall Street instead of engaging and pleasing existing and prospective consumers. You know, the way people make money in the real world of business. The expectations game, that has richly rewarded Hedge Funds and other speculators, as well as the complicit media is on its way out, at long last. You will have to work for a living in the future, too bad for you, you are not ready for it.

I’m not aware of anyone mentioning dissatisfaction with how Apple is now operating. I have an Apple and have become dissatisfied with the many glitches that are occurring in my attempts to link to other sites, the lack of efficient technical support, and the problem I had installing new programs and then working with those programs which had added problems.

Even while Steve Jobs was running the company, Apple wasn’t a one-man band.

Tim Cook is the conductor of an orchestra consisting of extraordinarily talented musicians. He has managed to keep those musicians in the orchestra even though other orchestras have tried to entice them away. The best musicians are still there today to the great credit of Tim Cook.

It would be very risky to bet that those great musicians would continue to stay in the Apple orchestra if a new conductor is hired.

I’ll be glad when analysts and investors will finally shut up about Apple. Yes their stock is down, because why? Analysts fears and speculation. Just shut up already. They are number one and number two selling smartphones, they lead in the Tablet market and their mobile and desktop computers are out pacing Windows PC’s like 3 to 1. They are also still the number two most valuable company in the world, next to Exxon that makes a product that is over priced for no reason and “everyone” needs.

Apple is not like other companies and thank God for that, they don’t release crap every two weeks like Samsung and other wannabe iPhone devices do. They have the number one App store, music stores, video store and it is the most secure smartphone out there at the moment.

But because some impatient guy looking at numbers in an office that has no clue about technology and he “feels” Apple isn’t releasing products fast enough he gets worried about the stock price. Just shut up, seriously.

Apple IS the leader, the entire world knows this, ALL other companies follow everything they do and have done since 1984, “we all know this” If you don’t agree, you live in denial. So shut up and wait for Apple’s next product launch, because the only ones that know what Apple is doing, is Apple.

Sad to find this continued attack on Apple by now a supposedly business medium.

Apple never said they are in the business of enriching shareholders they are in the business of making products with quality and lasting value which you don’t see very much around nowadays. In doing so it enhance the value of Apple.

Today Apple continue to sell products well and in demand by many and not that can be said for others.

Today’s PC market is in a tailspin to the bottom and many PC manufacturers will be losing money because of the consumers’ preference for an iPad or others.

Rumors were manufactured every day by media like Forbes, NYT, Bloomberg, WSJ to damage the reputation of Apple and they were/are manufactured to get clicks which is very important for them to the advertisers. And with the name Apple in the article no one is interested or interested in them.

Yes sad for these media to act just for the sake of clicks and the dollars with consideration of the damage they doing to a great company without parallel.

I would take the CEO position of Apple in a Heart Beat if offered. I have ideas that would get the company back on track, I rather not share them on here for the sake of some one steeling my ideas. were do I apply? APPLE IF YOU SEE THIS PLEASE CONTACT ME PLEASE!!!!! bencab319@yahoo.com

Considering Apple’s declining growth, the end of the tunnel might well be in sight for Cook unless he proves us wrong through new product launches soon. You might use this free tool kit to determine his chances: http://www.marcvandererve.org/marcvandererve/WORKSHOP_SET.html

“An insiders take on Wall Street” is to get rid a a guy who has been running Apple for years since Jobs was ill. What are the motivations of Wall Street? Wall Street is quite capable of bringing a stock down regardless of the reality. By over-estimating and causing fake “disappointments” while they happily short a stock.

Give me a break. Forbes needs take take some accountability for its contributors.

This article illustrates exactly what is wrong with allowing Wall Street and investors to dictate business decisions or public policy, they have no idea what in the world they are talking about.

The stock price of Apple has no relevance to the health of the company. The cash on hand tells you a lot more about how the company is doing more than how the stock price is doing.

I’d be inclined to believe that part of the reason these stupid ideas and investor disillusionment articles continue to get floated is because Cook has stood up to institutional investors and their call for taking an approach that would make the investors more comfortable.

I’m not sure Tim Cook is all that bad, but he’s not all that great either. Steve Jobs had a lot going for him that Tim Cook does not. Steve Jobs had the perfect balance of business acumen, vision for technology and just being there when the timing was right that computers and electronics were advancing at warp speeds. That has kind of slowed down.Time Cook is a supply chain expert, but I’m not sure that translates all that well. I think the fact that he puts products first over shareholders is a great thing. So I’m worried if they get rid of Cook, and get some smarmy slimeball to take over as CEO, you’ll get someone who just plays the shareholder game for several years until people get tired of it. He’ll buy Twitter like many are clamoring for. I just don’t see that help Apple that much. Oh the stock will shoot up but all of the sleight of hand will eventually be realized and Apple will be on a permanent slide.

“Some Wall Street sources close to some Apple executives say such a move is afoot”

Total nonsense and rumormongering. There is NOTHING wrong with the underlying business. Apple made $13,078,000,000 last quarter in profit. Apple made $41.7B in the last fiscal year. The only public company I can think of that made more, is Exxon/Mobil which made $44.9B. With lower energy prices, it’s very likely that Apple will top Exxon this fiscal year in profit. How can you possibly consider getting rid of a CEO running the most profitable company in the World?!?

The only thing wrong with Apple is the market mood. There is nothing wrong with the underlying business. How you can put this company in the same league as JC Penny which needs emergency capital, or HP is utterly ridiculous.

They are too tied to the supply chain model – that of constantly recycling the technology downward, eg. current gen iPod touch will have last gen’s iPhone’s camera, introduce MBA one year, then MBA Retina the following year, etc etc.

Not to mention that the competition has caught up. No matter what side you’re on, even Youtube personalities who are die-hard apple fans, concede that Android devices are finally starting to close the gap, to where an apple fanboy can picture himself using a Nexus 4, or an HTC One for his day-to-day.

Apple needs to shake things up. It’s not enough to show the same iOS screen year upon year. It reminds us of Capcom’s Street Fighter 2 series – endless iterative upgrades which eventually reduced the audience to only Japan.

Show us an iPhone that immensely upgrades the battery life. There is only so much you can do with retina display or camera. The processor is fast enough – why do you need it any faster? Show us a revamped iOS UI that fixes many of it’s shortcomings, and introduces features borrowed from Android.

You don’t need to keep shrinking things down. The people have spoken – the devices are small enough. Give us better battery life as a number one priority. We don’t want to have to charge our phones after just one day of usage.

I’m not your normal suit and tie, 2 by 4 “creative” guy that totes an Apple product around like I’m something special.

I’m better than that. I’m a regular nerd that knows a lot. I see patterns, I observe.

You know what I see? I see the human waking up and evolving from this horrible closed ecosystem that Apple once ruled. People are starting to realize that their shiny paper weights are nothing more than 7 year old tech that just can’t keep up.

Android is supreme because it does everything iOS does and more. WP8 is coming into it’s own and will soon be 2nd place to Android and two will happily dominate the market.

Hopefully Apple will continue it’s downward trend for another couple years, and out of a sheer act of kindness, Samsung or Google will make an offer to purchase them, fix what’s broken and serve the community smarter, faster, more current useful tech that will be the next evolution in this industry.

For now, Apple has done to the world what Beavis and Butthead did to it’s youth..

I’ve always said, Cook will “pull NOKIA” in record time..certainly looks like it - his arrogant attitude combined with - no vision - no PR skills - no ‘gatekeeper’ skills (knowing what NOT to do is v important today)

Walk into local Apple Store and you’ll notice signs written all over it 1) Product line misses simplicity (how many models old and new they’re now selling?) 2) Remember when it used to be all ‘cool’ and forward thinking people hanging in there?..well that’s no more 3) Staff attitude has all the sudden changed

Next up: he will mess up the MUSIC (iRadio) changes in iTunes Match etc.. and that would probably be the final straw for investors to let Cook cook someplace else… I would have let him go after the memorial event of Jobs and chose Ivy as interim CEO and later, once I know all the nuts and bolts simply hired myself for the position :)